CYPREMORT POINT, La. — Thomas Olander has watched his shrimp catch shrink over the last 15 years. It’s not just the abundance of Louisiana shrimp; Olander said that the average size of the crustacean has also shrunk.
In the past, shrimpers could expect the crustaceans to grow throughout the spring season, which starts in May in Louisiana waters and generally runs through July. “Since we’ve been dealing with this ‘dead zone,’” said Olander. “We’re not seeing that growth no more.”
The dead zone is a stretch along the shallows of the Gulf of Mexico where algae blooms choke off oxygen in the water.
This month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimated that this summer’s dead zone would reach 5,827 square miles – an area roughly the size of Connecticut. That’s up from approximately 3,058 square miles in 2023.
These massive algae blooms are caused by nutrients that run off of farms up and down the Mississippi River Basin, which stretches from Northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.
Fertilizer that helps crops grow contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients run off the fields during rainstorms at the end of the growing season and end up in waterways leading to the Mississippi River.
Murky, sediment-rich Mississippi River water mixes with fresh saltwater in the Gulf of Mexico on June 7, 2024. Nutrient runoff from 41% of the United States flows down the Mississippi, creating a “dead zone.” Aerial support provided by SouthWings. Photo by La’Shance Perry, The Lens ” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/landsend-flyover_cred-SouthWings_LaShance-Perry_The-Lens.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/landsend-flyover_cred-SouthWings_LaShance-Perry_The-Lens.jpg?fit=780%2C519&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button” src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/landsend-flyover_cred-SouthWings_LaShance-Perry_The-Lens.jpg?resize=780%2C519&ssl=1″ alt class=”wp-image-44804″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/landsend-flyover_cred-SouthWings_LaShance-Perry_The-Lens.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/landsend-flyover_cred-SouthWings_LaShance-Perry_The-Lens.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/landsend-flyover_cred-SouthWings_LaShance-Perry_The-Lens.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/landsend-flyover_cred-SouthWings_LaShance-Perry_The-Lens.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/landsend-flyover_cred-SouthWings_LaShance-Perry_The-Lens.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/landsend-flyover_cred-SouthWings_LaShance-Perry_The-Lens.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/landsend-flyover_cred-SouthWings_LaShance-Perry_The-Lens.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/landsend-flyover_cred-SouthWings_LaShance-Perry_The-Lens.jpg?w=2000&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/landsend-flyover_cred-SouthWings_LaShance-Perry_The-Lens-1024×682.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w” sizes=”(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>Murky, sediment-rich Mississippi River water mixes with fresh saltwater in the Gulf of Mexico on June 7, 2024. Nutrient runoff from 41% of the United States flows down the Mississippi, creating a “dead zone.” Aerial support provided by SouthWings. Photo by La’Shance Perry, The Lens
In 1996, the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico came to national attention through local reporting.
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